WorldHeart Implants Miniaturized VAD

July 16, 2007 - World Heart Corp. (WorldHeart), a developer of mechanical circulatory support systems, announced the animal implant of a the PediaFlow, a miniaturized, pediatric, ventricular assist device (VAD), which is the platform for a future minimally invasive adult VAD, intended to meet a large clinical need for earlier-stage heart failure patients.
The PediaFlow VAD is an implantable, magnetically levitated blood pump based on WorldHeart’s proprietary rotary VAD MagLev technology. In its pediatric configuration, the device is designed to provide a flow rate from 0.3 to 1.5 L/min. Development is funded by the National Institutes of Health, and involves a consortium that includes the University of Pittsburgh, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and WorldHeart.
The acute implant, performed by Peter Wearden, M.D., PhD, and assisted by Robert Kormos, M.D., at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, focused on initial biocompatibility and mechanical function under physiologic conditions.